BAY CITY, MI — Nearly a year after robbing a Bangor Township gas station at gunpoint, a 23-year-old parolee is heading back to prison for up to 25 years.

Bay County Circuit Judge Harry P. Gill on Monday, Dec. 23, sentenced Shawn M. Donovan to 15 to 25 years. Gill did not give Donovan jail credit, due to his being on parole at the time of the robbery.

“I just want to say I’m sorry to every person I affected by my actions,” said a shackled Donovan. “I made the worst decision of my life. My intention was to never hurt anybody.”

He added that he hopes to overcome his drug addiction and one day have a family and become a productive member of society.

Bay County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Nancy E. Borushko said that while Donovan is fairly young, that does not excuse his behavior.

“It’s hard enough to make ends meet for people these days. When you have to be exposed to this activity by Mr. Donovan, I can’t even fathom how frightening that would be,” she said.

Gill concurred, describing the matter as “a sad, sad case.” He referred to a previous statement by the clerk Donovan held up, stating she thought of her kids growing up without their mother.

“That’s not the kind of trauma where you wake up the next morning and go, ‘Whew, it’s over,’” the judge said. “That’s the kind of trauma that can affect a person’s feeling of security for the rest of their lives.”

Thus, Gill said he had an obligation to protect society from Donovan.

Donovan in October pleaded guilty to one count of armed robbery, punishable by up to life imprisonment. In exchange for his plea, the prosecution agreed to dismiss a second count of armed robbery and single counts of larceny in a building, breaking and entering with intent, possession of burglary tools and assaulting, resisting or obstructing police.

The charge to which Donovan pleaded stems from the Jan. 15 holdup of the Marathon station at 1100 S. Euclid Ave. Donovan reportedly entered the business about 6:30 a.m., brandished a semiautomatic handgun and demanded cash from the safe. He then fled on foot.

Bay County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Donovan soon thereafter at a nearby apartment complex, finding several cash drawers and a handgun in his vehicle.

Donovan’s attorney, Eric Proschek, said Monday that the gun in question was actually fake, though he added that the clerk had every reason to believe it was authentic.

Police had alleged Donovan also held up the Admiral gas station at 212 S. Euclid Ave. in Bangor Township on Jan. 12, also while threatening the clerk with a handgun and demanding cash and cigarettes.

Police have also said that Donovan broke into Mulligan’s Pub, 109 Center Ave. in Bay City, in the early morning of Jan. 14. Donovan’s friend, James McInerney, later told police he drove Donovan to the scene and that thereafter, the two of them went to Saginaw and bought about $700 in drugs, court records show. They then went to Soaring Eagle Casino in Mount Pleasant and gambled away the rest of the cash, McInerney told police.

In connection with the Mulligan’s break-in, McInerney is charged with breaking and entering with intent and larceny in a building. Sharon Donovan previously worked at Mulligan’s and police allege she provided her nephew with security codes for the pub.

McInerney also told police he acted as a lookout for Donovan during the Jan. 12 Admiral robbery, court records show. In connection with that, he is also charged with armed robbery.

Sharon Donovan on Friday, Dec. 20, appeared before Gill and pleaded guilty to one count of breaking and entering with intent in connection with the Mulligan’s burglary. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss a second count of the same charge and a count of larceny in a building.

Gill is to sentence Sharon Donovan, who is free on bond, at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 3.

Shawn Donovan was paroled from prison on Sept. 5, 2012, after serving about nine months. His stint resulted from an incident in which he and a friend burglarized multiple homes in Bay City and Monitor and Frankenlust townships in September 2010. Bay County Chief Circuit Judge Kenneth W. Schmidt in December 2011 sentenced Donovan to 23 months to 15 years in prison, saying at the time that Donovan probably deserved a harsher sentence than he was receiving.